RTE Radio is saying goodbye to longwave

It's the end of an era after RTE Radio 1 said its longwave 252 service will cease next month.

The station said the vast majority (98pc) of RTE Radio 1 listeners will be unaffected by the move.

RTE Radio director of operations JP Coakley said the longwave signal covers the island of Ireland and carries into Britain.

"This technology gives further reach than FM, but at the expense of quality, and it is rare in modern radios," he said.

"Nowadays, digital platforms mean quality and reach do not have to be traded, especially for those listening overseas.

"The longwave service on 252 has only been in use by Radio 1 for 10 years, and while the service was financially and technologically viable for a short time, this is no longer the case."

improved

Tom McGuire, Head of RTE Radio 1, said: "The availability of the radio service through new digital platforms provides a much improved sound quality and broader access for all programmes."

Radio 1 has been on longwave 252 since 2004.

Some listeners will remember pop music station Atlantic 252, which was a joint venture between RTE and RTL, the parent company of Radio Luxembourg, which started in 1989 at a time when there were relatively few national pop stations in the UK.

It grew to a height of nearly five million listeners in the mid 1990s.